Friday, 5 April 2013

Acne is one of the most common skin problems faced by many people. Acne may erupt anywhere on the body, but mostly it appears on the face. Acne eruptions, especially on the face may lead to other problems like depression and many a times, it may also put you in embarrassing situations. Many of us who suffer from acne believe that the main cause of acne is the diet we take. Yes, this is true, but this is not the only cause of acne. There are many other causes of acne which most of us remain unaware.

CAUSES OF ACNE:

There are several reasons why a person may suffer from acne. Here are the five main causes of acne:

HORMONAL CHANGES:

The main cause of acne in almost half of the population is hormonal changes. Puberty is the stage when many of us suffer from acne because our body tends to fabricate the hormones called androgens during puberty. The sebaceous glands expand due to the secretion of these hormones. Although this process is natural, but in severe cases the sebaceous glands enlarge much more than the normal condition and lead to the production of excessive oil on the skin. This ultimately leads to the outbreak of acne. In women, eruption of acne may also be due to hormonal changes which take place during the menstrual cycle and the phase of pregnancy.

GENETIC PROBLEMS:

In many cases, acne can be genetic. If any of your ancestors or your parents has suffered from acne, it is suspected that you may also become a victim of acne. So, the problem of acne may also be a result of hereditary transmission in many people.

SECRETION OF EXCESSIVE SEBUM:

The production of androgens may lead to the stimulation of the sebaceous glands. This causes the sebaceous glands to secrete excessive sebum. This sebum tends to move up to the skin surface through the follicles and, then the dead skin cells and the bacteria present on the surface of the skin mix up with the sebum. The excessive sebum causes clogging which is the main cause of acne. Although the moving up of the sebum through the follicles is a common process, but when the secretion is in excess, the skin becomes oily and ultimately leads to outbreak of acne.

ROLE OF P.ACNES

The bacterium which is responsible for the outbreak of acne is called the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes. It is also called the P. Acnes and is necessarily required for the maintenance of the sebum system in body. When the follicles on the skin react with the P. Acnes bacterium, it leads to fast multiplication of the bacteria. This reaction leads to inflammation causing some kind of irritation on the skin and redness around. Ultimately, this reaction causes acne to break out where the inflammation is caused.

IRRITATION ON THE SKIN:

As mentioned above, the plugging of P. Acnes with the skin follicles causes inflammation to occur on the skin. This may cause irritation to occur on the skin which leads to the eruption of acne.

Apart from this, there are other causes which may result in acne due to irritation on the skin. Many of us do not actually know what products to use for the skin and end up using the wrong products. In order to use the correct product for the skin, you must be aware of your skin type. The products should be used as per your skin type in order to avoid any type of irritation which may finally result in acne.